1 


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1301 

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By  A  Sol<! 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 
SAN  DIEGO 


THE  UNIVERSITY  UBftAfr 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN   DIEGO 
LA  JOLLA,  CALIFORNIA 


01201 


6F 
ISal 


5715 


GONE  WEST 

by  a  SOLDIER  DOCTOR 


EDITED      BY 
H.  M.  G.  and  M.  M.  H. 

With    a    Preface    by 

FREDERICK    W.    KENDALL 


New  York 

ALFRED  •  A  •  KNOPF 
1919 


COPYRIGHT,  1919,  BY 
ALFRED  A.  KNOPF,  INC. 


PRINTED    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES    Or    AMERICA 


To  the  heroic  women  of  the  world, 
the  mothers,  wives,  sisters  and  sweet- 
hearts who  bravely  sent  us  forth  to  battle 
for  a  great  cause: — we  who  have  crossed 
the  Great  Divide  salute  you. 


PREFACE 

It  is  quite  as  foolish  as  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  argue  the  question  of  communi- 
cation between  the  living  and  the  so- 
called  dead.  So  many  eminent  men,  sci- 
entific and  otherwise,  like  Sir  Oliver 
Lodge  and  Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle,  for 
instance — to  name  two  who  are  prom- 
inent in  the  public  mind — have,  after 
years  of  investigation,  expressed  their  be- 
lief in  the  truth  of  this  communication 
that  we  do  not  go  far  astray  if  we  assert 
the  establishment  of  this  fact  as  a  fact 
However,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  make 
any  argument  on  this  point;  either  one 
believes  or  he  does  not,  and  that  is  all 

[5] 


Preface 

there  is  to  it  so  far  as  the  individual  is 
concerned.  And  yet  I  would  like  to  give 
to  those  who  may  read  this  little  book, 
personal  assurances — from  one  who  has 
no  material  interest  in  its  publication — 
that  these  messages  were  obtained  abso- 
lutely in  the  circumstances  set  forth  by 
the  writers.  And  whether  one  believes 
or  does  not,  I  am  sure  that  there  is  re- 
vealed in  them  a  suggestion  of  a  philos- 
ophy which  can  not  but  help  those  many 
thousands  who  are  so  heavy  of  heart  be- 
cause of  what  they  deem  the  losses  which 
the  Great  War  has  brought  to  them. 

These  letters,  or  messages,  from  a  doc- 
tor-soldier who  has  been  serving  through- 
out the  war  on  the  spirit  side,  make  the 
plea — in  behalf  of  and  at  the  suggestion 
of  those  brave  lads  who  have  Gone  West 
— for  a  more  rational  acceptance  of  the 
thing  we  call  death.  This  he  urges,  not 
[6] 


Preface 

only  for  the  sake  of  those  who  are  left 
behind,  but  more  for  the  sake  of  those 
who  have  gone  beyond  and  who,  when 
they  come  back  to  the  old  scenes,  are 
shocked  and  saddened  by  the  despair  and 
the  grief  they  find,  by  the  refusal  of  their 
dear  ones  to  realize  that  life  is  continu- 
ing and  continuous  and  that  death  is  only 
a  change  and  not  the  end. 

My  own  observation  and  my  experi- 
ence with  others  have  convinced  me  that 
there  is  not  only  a  great  need  for  these 
messages  but  a  great  demand  for  them. 
I  find  so  many  parents  whose  soldier  boys 
will  not  come  back  to  them  in  the  flesh 
who  are  seeking  in  all  directions  for 
some  word  that  will  help  them,  so  many 
who  are  striving,  more  or  less  blindly, 
for  the  right  attitude,  an  attitude  that 
will  bring  them  some  surcease  of  sorrow 
and  that  will  at  the  same  time  enable 

[7] 


Preface 

them  to  be  of  help  to  those  wno  have 
gone  on. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  and  my  pleas- 
ure to  have  enjoyed  a  long  personal  and 
intimate  acquaintance  with  both  the  mes- 
sage-giver and  the  message-bearers.  The 
doctor-soldier  was  a  man — if  I  speak  of 
him  here  in  the  past  tense  it  is  only  be- 
cause I  yield  to  convention — of  unusual 
solidity  of  character,  scientific  in  his  hab- 
its of  thought,  of  fine  perceptions  and 
eminently  successful  both  in  his  profes- 
sion and  in  business.  His  strong  person- 
ality stands  out  in  these  recorded  ob- 
servations as  distinctly  as  it  was  ever 
manifested  while  he  was  a  part  of  this 
earth  life.  The  associated  earthly  au- 
thors of  this  book  are  women  of  culture 
and  the  highest  principles,  they  have  long 
been  students  of  psychical  matters  and 
there  can  be  no  question  concerning  their 
[8] 


Preface 

honesty  of  purpose  or  of  the  circum- 
stances surrounding  the  production  of 
their  MS. 

FREDERICK  W.  KENDALL, 

Literary  Editor, 
Buffalo  Sun  a' ay  Express. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  March  10,  1919. 


[9] 


FOREWORD 

On  Lincoln's  Birthday  1915,  a  noble 
gentleman  passed  into  the  unseen  life. 
A  soldier  of  the  Civil  War — later  a 
physician — now  again  a  Soldier  Doctor 
in  the  Great  World  War. 

A  month  after  his  crossing  the  "Great 
Divide,"  messages  began  coming  back  to 
the  two  women  whose  friendly  guide  he 
had  been  since  childhood. 

The  "wireless"  machine  was  only  a 
pencil.  The  methods  of  sending,  tele- 
pathic. The  proof  of  his  identity,  con- 
vincing to  those  who  had  known  and 
loved  him. 

At  intervals  during  the  three  years  fol- 
lowing, the  pages  of  this  little  volume 
were  given,  together  with  many  more 


Foreword 

communications  of  a  wholly  personal 
nature. 

When  the  war  was  nearing  its  end  the 
Doctor  urged  his  friends  to  give  certain 
parts  of  his  story  to  the  world,  hoping 
to  assuage  the  grief  of  sorrowing  mothers 
and  to  add  a  bit  of  cheer  to  the 
first  months  of  his  homesick  boys  "Over 
There." 

For  those  who  must  be  assured  of  iden- 
tity the  little  episode  of  the  ring  (P.  42) 
may  prove  convincing.  None  of  the 
•Doctor's  intimate  friends  however  has  a 
doubt  about  his  return,  so  many  and  so 
individual  have  been  the  proofs  of  his 
personality. 

A  great  soul  who  faced  the  unknown 
bravely  with  an  open  mind,  he  has  the 
courage  to  tell  the  truth  as  simply  and 
fearlessly  as  he  spoke  and  lived  when 
on  earth.  With  undimmed  eyes  and 

[12] 


Foreword 

straightforward  words  he  gives  his  con- 
tribution to  a  sorrowing  world,  hoping 
his  experience  in  The  Great  Adventure 
may  give  solace  to  some,  a  bit  of  cheer  to 
others,  and  teach  all  to  keep  hearts  and 
homes  happy  with  a  cheerful  welcome 
for  the  unseen  guests — our  soldier  boys 
who  have  "Gone  West." 


Part  First:    Pre-war  Letters 


MARCH  7,  1915 

When  you  are  ready  to  write  I  shall 
be  here  to  give  you  all  the  glad  hand, 
and  glad  it  is.  I  never  believed  you 
really  did  this  writing.  It  takes  two 
worlds  to  convince  a  hard-headed  old 
doubter  like  me. 

One  day  in  March,  1915,  the  amanuen- 
sis of  these  communications  was  sitting 
at  her  desk  writing  letters.  Suddenly 
her  pen  was  seized  by  an  unseen  force 
and  the  preceding  words  were  written. 

The  Doctor  had  been  dead  nearly  a 
month.  Though  believing  intercom- 
munication between  two  worlds  possible, 
his  friends  hesitated  to  make  any  efforts 
to  hear  from  him,  knowing  his  attitude 
of  mind  while  here  was  skeptical  and 

[17] 


Gone  West 

feeling  sure  his  desires  and  scientific  turn 
of  mind  would  make  him  investigate  as 
soon  as  he  was  able. 

He  experimented  with  automatic 
writing.  At  first  he  tried  to  use  the 
hand.  The  chirography  was  not  unlike 
his  own  which  he  describes  as  "shaky  " 
owing  to  a  nervous  infirmity. 

Impatient  to  communicate  faster  he 
asked  the  help  of  a  spirit  friend,  Gerome, 
who  was  experienced  in  the  telepathic 
method,  and  later  the  Doctor  mastered 
"the  wireless"  as  he  calls  this  means  of 
sending  his  messages. 

From  a  mass  of  material,  conversa- 
tional in  character,  his  friends  have  culled 
out  the  following  at  his  request,  and  give 
it  in  the  form  it  was  presented  to  them. 
The  italics  show  their  questions  and  in- 
terpolations. 

Repetition,    change    and    growth    of 

[18] 


Gone  West 

opinion  are  obvious,  but  it  seems  wiser  to 
let  him  present  the  story  of  his  adven- 
tures as  he  gave  it. 

MARCH  8,  1915 

My  hand  is  still  pretty  shaky.  Re- 
ferring to  the  appearance  of  the  writing 
when  he  tried  to  use  the  hand.  Never 
mind,  I  can  talk,  and  it's  mighty  good  to 
know  you  know  I  am  here.  I  have  been 
with  you  so  much  I  wonder  if  you  have 
sensed  it.  Thank  Heaven  there  isn't 
that  awful  feeling  of  separation  I  feared. 
It  was  my  only  reason  for  not  wanting  to 
leave  my  tired  old  body;  and,  my  dear 
girls,  when  you  come,  see  that  the  old 
garment  is  cremated,  it's  the  only  way. 
I  have  met  people  who  have  been  here 
for  years  and  they  have  the  most  peculiar 
clinging  to  their  earthly  bodies.  It's  a 
terrible  drawback. 

[19] 


Gone  West 

Can  you  see  us?  Surely  I  can,  as 
plain  as  day. 

Did  you  know  the  day  you  died  that 
you  were  going  to  die?  Yes,  I  knew  it, 
but  my  first  consciousness  of  the  transi- 
tion was  when  I  saw  you  standing  by  me 
holding  my  hand  and  crying.  Then  I 
said  to  myself  "I  am  dead,  I  surely  am, 
and  I  feel  more  alive  than  I  have  felt  in 
years."  It  was  mighty  good  not  to  have 
that  awful  breathing  and  feel  those  mis- 
erable legs  refuse  to  carry  me.  I  next 
saw  M.  and  H.  and  J.  and  C.  all  looking 
at  me  crying  and  laughing.  It  was  a  re- 
union I  can  tell  you.  I  was  not  very 
strong  for  a  few  days  but  I  was  so  deter- 
mined to  be  well  that  I  am  well  now.  I 
feel  humble  about  offering  opinions  but 
when  I  could  see  myself  grow  vigorous 
by  thinking  of  health  I  wondered  if  I 
could  not  have  done  it  before.  The  sci- 

[20] 


Gone  West 

entific  use  of  thought  is  necessary  here  to 
conduct  one's  life.  I  don't  know  much 
yet  but  wait  a  bit.  I'll  have  worlds  to 
tell  you.  Isn't  it  going  to  be  fine?  lean 
pass  on  all  I  learn.  I  think  in  my  sleep 
I  have  been  peeping  into  this  life  for 
some  time,  so  many  things  seem  familiar, 
and  they  tell  me  my  transition  was  mar- 
velously  easy. 

MARCH    n,    1915.    GEROME  WRITING 

It  has  never  seemed  feasible  to  me  to 
put  into  words  our  life  over  here.  I 
couldn't  see  how  it  was  going  to  help 
those  on  your  plane,  but  of  course  it  will 
help.  I  want  to  add  a  few  thoughts  of 
my  own.  One  of  them  is  this — when  you 
come  over  don't  try  to  get  in  touch  with 
every  living  soul  you  ever  knew.  You 
meet  them  fast  enough,  those  waiting  for 
you  are  sufficient  at  first.  Doctor  is 

[21] 


Gone  West 

crazy  to  look  up  all  his  relatives,  friends, 
acquaintances,  God  knows  who  all,  and 
I  tell  him  to  hold  on  a  bit.  He  is  living 
in  eternity  and  there  is  plenty  of  time 
coming.  Now  I  want  to  help  him  to 
communicate  before  he  is  too  far  re- 
moved from  earth  thoughts,  then  his  fu- 
ture experiences  can  be  given  back  to 
you.  If  he  doesn't  learn  this  lesson  now 
he  may  never  be  able  to  make  his  knowl- 
edge of  any  value  to  you. 

DOCTOR  WRITING 

I  have  had  a  wonderful  adventure.  I 
went  with  M.  to  a  temple.  I  supposed 
it  to  be  a  church  but  it  was  more  on  the 
order  of  a  college.  There  was  the  great- 
est motley  array  of  people  and  costumes 
I  ever  beheld.  They  were  apparently 
of  all  nations  and  all  ages. 

I  was  given  a  seat  and  told  to  make 

[22] 


Gone  West 

no  sound.  They  were  thinking  in  uni- 
son and  what  do  you  think  it  was  about? 
— That  the  war  should  cease  on  earth. 
They  believe  they  can  stop  the  European 
war  that  way.  I  have  never  supposed 
one  could  hear  and  see  thought  but  above 
the  heads  of  the  congregation  there  arose 
a  cloud  of  something  like  a  vapor.  It 
was  gold  in  color  and  floated  away  in  the 
direction  of  the  war  zone.  They  told 
me  it  would  interpenetrate  the  layers  of 
war  thoughts  and  eventually  dissolve 
them.  It  looked  mighty  fishy  to  me,  but 
I  left  the  Temple  and  tried  to  follow 
it. 

I  could  see  it  settle  in  camps  in  the 
midst  of  France  and  a  still  queerer  thing 
happened.  It  was  as  if  two  opposing 
armies  of  people  met,  only  it  was  merely 
a  mist.  The  gold  mist  began  to  dissolve 
the  dull  red  and  purple  mists  and  when 

[23] 


Gone  West 

I  left  I  could  see  spots  where  only  the 
gold  remained. 

Now  I  cannot  tell  you  I  believe  this 
was  the  thought  force  of  that  throng,  but 
they  tell  me  it  was,  and  that  these  people 
meet  every  midnight  for  this  prayer  serv- 
ice. 

GEROME  COMMENTS 

You  see  the  Doctor  is  still  skeptical 
about  the  invisible  realities  but  when 
enough  of  them  become  visible  to  him 
he  will  decide  there  is  something  to 
them. 

That  Temple  is  called  "The  Temple 
of  Light"  because  it  is  there  great  uplift- 
ing forces  are  started  for  reforms  on 
earth.  If  they  meet  sufficient  response 
a  great  movement  is  born  in  the  world. 
The  Reformation  is  a  sample  and  right 
now  we  are  seeing  the  most  wonderful 

[24] 


Gone  West 

spiritual  awakening  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

Even  the  beginning  of  the  Christian 
era  could  show  nothing  greater,  for  now 
a  large  proportion  of  the  people  on  earth 
will  comprehend  it.  We  call  it  the  age 
of  spiritual  consciousness.  Materialism 
is  to  grow  less  and  less  and  the  spiritual 
verities  will  become  more  evident. 

DOCTOR  CONTINUES.    APRIL  5,  1915 

You  will  have  real  fun  when  you  get 
here.  Things  won't  surprise  you  as 
much  as  they  do  me.  Our  life  is  very 
normal.  I  heard  you  talking  about  our 
apparent  freedom  to  do  as  we  please. 
We  do  and  we  don't.  To  be  sure,  we 
have  not  the  same  family  responsibilities 
but  the  more  developed  a  soul  is,  the 
m&re  he  realizes  his  part  in  the  great 
scheme  of  the  universe  and  the  more 


Gone  West 

sacred  his  sense  of  duty  to  perform  it. 

The  thing  that  interests  me  most  now 
is  the  law  of  vibration.  It  is  necessary 
to  understand  it  to  see  how  our  worlds 
intermingle  and  still  do  not  collide. 
The  Astral  Plane  this  is  called. 

I  am  beginning  to  sense  more  and  more 
its  possibilities  and  beauties.  I  shall 
soon  have  duties  enough.  I  begin  to  see 
where  my  work  is  needed. 

You  girls  must  study  thought  and 
thought  action  constantly.  If  you  could 
see  the  thought  vibrations  they  would 
astound  you.  It  is  appalling  to  find  that 
every  single  thought  does  something  just 
as  definitely  as  when  you  sew  stitches  in 
a  garment. 

I  took  a  lesson  the  other  day  in  con- 
structive thinking.  We  were  told  to  vis- 
ualize a  plan  for  a  garden,  see  the  paths, 
trees,  flowers,  etc.  We  closed  our  eyes 

[26] 


Gone  West 

and  concentrated  upou  the  plan,  opened 
them  and  there  it  was  before  us,  not  the 
gardens  but  complete  plans  for  them  as 
if  we  had  drawn  them  upon  paper.  I 
could  take  mine  in  my  hands  and  file  it 
away  for  reference  it  became  so  stable. 
It  is  no  more  surprising  than  that  an 
architect  should  make  such  a  plan  and 
put  it  on  paper  with  his  hands,  only  we 
need  not  use  our  hands  if  we  know  how 
to  utilize  the  sensitive  plates  for  register- 
ing thoughts  which  we  project. 

Because  of  my  interest  in  scientific 
things  I  have  found  the  laboratories  my 
first  interest.  Others  would  not  be  look- 
ing for  just  such  things  and  would  tell 
you  different  stories  of  their  experi- 
ences. 

One  discovery  I  have  made  is  this. 
On  your  plane  you  make  too  hard  work 
of  doing  things.  You  think  you  must 

[27] 


Gone  West 

carve  out  everything  "by  the  sweat  of 
your  brow."  Well,  you  need  not  "sweat" 
so  much  if  you  would  think  more  and 
rush  around  less.  The  only  trouble  is 
that  you  do  twice  as  much  destructive 
thinking  as  constructive.  A  mason  who 
lays  five  hundred  'bricks,  then  pulls  down 
four  hundred  wouldn't  get  his  building 
very  fast. 

If  you  want  a  thing,  picture  it,  hang 
to  the  invisible  pattern  no  matter  what 
your  eyes  see,  and  the  pattern  must  be- 
come materialized  in  your  vibration. 

• 
DECEMBER  b,  1915 

My  birthday  seems  to  have  come 
around  again.  I  had  almost  forgotten 
it  for  I  have  another  birthday  in  Febru- 
ary which  is  more  important  now.  It 
has  been  an  exciting  year  as  I  look  back 
upon  it,  unbelievably  full  of  events. 

[28] 


Gone  West 

When  I  wrote  last,  you  will  remember 
I  had  been  idly  traveling,  but  one  day 
last  Spring  I  ran  up  against  some  real 
experiences  that  set  me  back  on  my  old 
trail  of  doctoring.  I  never  thought  I 
should  be  at  my  profession  again,  did  not 
suppose  it  would  be  needed  here.  That 
was  one  of  the  lessons  I  had  to  learn, 
everything  counts. 

One  day  I  was  called  upon  to  go  to 
France  and  help  on  the  battle-fields.  I 
had  selfishly  avoided  them,  thinking  I 
could  do  no  good  and  they  would  only 
depress  me. 

That  night  I  had  my  awakening.  It 
was  after  an  awful  battle.  The  boys 
were  lying  out  on  the  fields  waiting  for 
help  from  God,  Man  or  Devil.  When  I 
heard  that  despairing  call  I  buckled  on 
my  mental  armor  and  said  to  myself, 
"Back  on  the  job,  old  man,  you  have  no 

[29] 


Gone  West 

excuse  in  frailness  now."  I  was  never 
stronger  nor  more  equal  to  the  task. 

I  am  not  going  into  details  about  these 
last  months,  you  couldn't  stand  the  hear- 
ing nor  I  the  telling.  Hell!  Hell! 
Hell!  only  there  has  been  a  certain  joy 
in  it  all.  Being  of  use  is  the  secret  of 
happiness  and  my  small  part  may  have 
helped  some  poor  lad  to  leave  your  world 
with  less  anguish.  It's  the  leaving  that 
is  the  hardest  part  of  it  all,  leaving  what 
they  think  is  life  and  what  they  suppose 
to  be  their  only  bodies.  And  do  you 
know  my  experience  as  a  physician  has 
taught  me  much  about  this  second  birth, 
for  birth  it  surely  is. 

All  great  Doctors  are  conscious  or 
unconscious  psychologists.  The  actual 
physical  help  is  trivial  compared  to  the 
mental  therapeutics.  After  my  first  les- 
sons in  thought  force  I  could  see  the  an- 

[30] 


Gone  West 

alogy.  My  lessons  have  been  very  prac- 
tical ones.  Any  one  would  learn  them 
in  this  school. 

After  I  had  my  bearings  it  wasn't  so 
hard  and  would  be  intensely  interesting 
if  I  didn't  feel  all  the  time  what  folly 
there  is  in  the  world  to  have  caused  this 
war.  Good  must  come  out  of  it,  but 
don't  delude  yourselves  that  war  is  nec- 
essary; there  is  the  better  way,  and  the 
world  must  learn  this  or  cease  its  progres- 
sion. 

I  had  too  many  years  of  enforced  rest, 
now  it  is  time  for  me  to  give  out  again 
and  a  big  Duty  is  calling.  If  you  want 
to  talk  to  me,  make  appointments;  a  Sol- 
dier Doctor,  you  know,  must  be  on  duty 
most  of  the  time.  I  can  come  about  once 
a  week. 


Gone  West 

JANUARY,  1916 

The  psychic  senses  can  be  cultivated, 
give  them  a  chance.  They  say  the  new 
race  is  to  have  them  developed  to  a  mar- 
velous degree.  Perhaps  we  shall  all 
want  to  go  back.  I'll  wait  for  you  and 
we  will  talk  it  over  later. 

I'm  off  duty  to-night  and  feel  like  a 
boy  out  of  school.  We  don't  call  you, 
fearing  to  interrupt  vital  matters. 
That's  right,  don't  do  it,  time  enough 
later.  You  know  time  becomes  elon- 
gated here.  We  do  not  fuss  about  to-day 
and  to-morrow  and  it  saves  a  lot  of  worry. 
Half  of  the  trouble  in  the  world,  as  I 
think  it  over  now,  was  caused  by  fussing 
over  the  things  we  didn't  get  done  that 
day.  That  is  one  of  the  silliest  notions 
of  your  old  world. 

Do  you  want  to  talk  about  the  war? 

[32] 


Gone  West 

It's  hard  to  talk  about  it;  we  are  too  near 
its  carnage.  At  last  I  am  beginning  to 
get  some  other  points  of  view  At  first 
all  I  could  see  was  the  useless  butchery. 
Now  I  understand  more  of  the  causes 
and  though  I  do  not  believe  such  things 
should  be,  I  know  what  has  brought  them 
about  and  where  the  world  is  trend- 
ing. It  is  the  birth  of  many  things 
and  the  death  of  many  curses  to  man- 
kind. 

//  is  suggested  that  Lincoln  is  watch- 
ing over  our  country.  Yes,  that  I  too 
have  heard.  I  have  seen  him  once,  but 
I  felt  so  great  an  awe  of  him  I  could  not 
greet  him.  He  appears  a  much  more  ex- 
alted soul  here  than  while  living  on 
earth. 

Are  you  'working  in  France?  Mostly, 
but  not  entirely.  I  have  offered  my 
services  as  a  physician  should,  where 

[33] 


Gone  West 

they  are  most  needed.     Last  month  I  was 
in  Serbia. 

I  am  Ipoking  forward  to  the  day  when 
these  trying  events  will  be  over  and  we 
can  go  on  with  our  communications. 
They  will  become  easier  as  time  goes  on, 
because  of  conditions  with  which  we 
have  nothing  to  do.  Instead  of  getting 
farther  apart  we  shall  draw  nearer.  It 
may  not  be  this  year  nor  next  but  it  is 
coming. 

FEBRUARY  26,  1916 

This  wireless  communication  is  not  as 
strange  as  it  seems  and  is  a  great  comfort 
for  the  few  of  us  who  can  use  it.  I  was 
telling  some  people  here  about  it  the 
other  day  and  you  should  have  seen  their 
amazement.  Just  as  incredulous  as  they 
are  with  you.  It  doesn't  make  much  dif- 
ference where  you  live.  Knowledge 

[34] 


Gone  West 

does  not  come  because  one  has  lost  his 
earthly  body.  Were  it  not  for  H.  I  do 
not  suppose  I  could  have  had  this  pleas- 
ure and  it  is  the  greatest  comfort.  We 
get  as  homesick  as  you.  I  have  even 
been  guilty  of  wanting  to  go  back  into 
my  old  cumbersome  body  which  would 
never  obey  my  wishes.  Not  now  how- 
ever ;  when  one  finds  out  how  to  use  this 
more  ethereal  body  it  grows  in  wonder 
and  delight.  I  ran  about  at  first  for  the 
mere  pleasure  of  running,  more  cor- 
rectly, thought  myself  places.  It  took  a 
time  to  find  out  how  it  was  done,  but 
when  I  grasped  it  there  was  nothing  gave 
me  so  much  pleasure  as  the  annihilation 
of  distance. 

In  answer  to  a  question  regarding  a 
battle.  It  looks  as  though  the  Germans 
were  winning,  but  all  the  time  we  are 
told  the  Allies  will  come  out  ahead. 

[35] 


Gone  West 

Those  on  my  plane  of  vision  get  very  lit- 
tle more  light  than  you,  though  there  are 
seers  who  prophesy.  I  suppose  they  see 
more  or  else  they  guess  better. 

We  are  not  only  kept  busy  helping 
people  to  be  born  here  but  in  enlighten- 
ing their  minds  as  to  the  causes  and  re- 
sults of  their  righting.  Our  chief  ef- 
forts are  to  change  their  hatred  into  tol- 
erance and  understanding.  They  are  in- 
structed, thousands  at  a  time. 

I  told  you  I  was  going  to  take  Peggy 
to  the  battle-fields.  Well,  I  have  done  it 
and  she  was  a  little  hero.  I  really 
dreaded  the  first  sight  of  war  for  her,  but 
we  began  with  the  hospitals.  I  then 
handed  over  a  patient  or  two  to  give  her 
mind  definite  work  that  the  horrors 
would  not  be  so  overwhelming.  She  is 
a  wonderful  girl  and  will  be  a  real  god- 

[36] 


Gone  West 

send.  I  need  not  have  worried.  She 
will  spend  only  a  part  of  her  time  with 
us  but  will  do  her  share  from  now  on. 

Peggy  <was  a  young  college  girl  of 
'whom  the  Doctor  'was  very  fond.  She 
died  about  six  months  after  his  death. 

Since  my  enlistment  I  have  gone  only 
where  I  have  been  most  needed.  We 
are  organized  for  work  and  I  have  given 
my  aid  to  severely  wounded  soldiers  who 
were  having  difficulty  in  being  released 
from  their  bodies.  Some  are  killed  in- 
stantly and  others  aid  them.  Then  there 
are  many  kinds  of  prolonged  dying.  I 
have  had  some  very  trying  cases  where 
it  was  nip  and  tuck  which  way  they  went. 
When  their  bodies  are  too  shattered  I 
help  to  release  them.  Yes,  it  is  queer 
but  not  more  so  than  birth  into  your 
world.  The  whole  amazing  process  is 

[37] 


Gone  West 

queerer  than  queer.  One  might  as  well 
decide  everything  is  natural;  the  more 
astounding  the  more  natural.  When  the 
war  is  over  I  shall  have  time  to  go  on 
with  my  investigations.  I  had  enough 
shown  me  to  find  out  I  knew  nothing  at 
all.  Apparently  we  start  school  in  the 
kindergarten  grade  when  we  leave  the 
earth. 

MARCH  18,  1917 

Here  we  are  again  around  the  yellow 
lamp.  I  like  to  come  to  the  old  house 
the  best  of  all.  I  feel  more  at  home 
here  than  anywhere  on  earth.  It  is 
queer  how  places  cling  to  one.  I  haven't 
much  feeling  about  the  other  houses 
where  I  lived.  I  suppose  because  no 
one  I  care  for  is  in  them  now.  I  often 
drop  in  and  sit  in  my  old  chair.  I  can 
still  feel  and  enjoy  it. 

[38] 


Gone  West 

MARCH  25,  1918 

During  the  Spring  Drive  when  sons 
of  his  old  friends  were  leaving  for 
France. 

I  have  given  my  time  since  I  came 
over  to  helping  any  one  who  needed  me, 
but  now  I  shall  have  my  adopted  family 
of  boys.  It  will  be  a  joy  to  me  and  per- 
haps some  comfort  to  you  mothers. 

You  might  as  well  give  up  having 
nerves  over  the  war  news.  It  is  going 
to  be  worse  and  this  is  only  the  beginning 
of  terrible  battles.  No  human  being 
can  stop  it,  but  Right  will  prevail.  The 
end  is  not  in  sight  from  my  limited  vi- 
sion; we  get  rumors  from  high  sources 
and  there  may  be  wise  ones  who  know, 
but  I  am  not  one  of  them.  . 

Be  as  philosophical  as  you  can,  know 
it  is  a  Holy  War,  that  the  lads  coming 
over  here  are  living  their  lives  just  as 

[39] 


Gone  West 

surely,  and  because  of  their  sacrifice  in  a 
much  finer  sense,  than  could  be  achieved 
by  two  lifetimes  on  earth1.  They  will 
know  what  the  wisest  Masters  have  taken 
centuries  to  learn,  the  supreme  good  of 
self-sacrifice.  That  is  the  great  initia- 
tion which  only  those  worthy  are  permit- 
ted to  take,  and  whether  they  live  on  your 
plane  or  this,  they  will  never  be  the  same 
again. 

The  boys  will  keep  their  own  spirits 
pure  for  the  service  they  are  called  upon 
to  give.  They  must  go  as  the  Knights  of 
old,  with  but  one  vision  before  them, 
"For  God  and  Country."  This  sounds 
like  preaching,  but,  my  dears,  it  is  a  sol- 
emn hour. 

I  now  know  this  war  is  a  privilege,  not 
the  calamity  I  first  thought  it.  The  race 
is  permitted  to  have  its  Gethsemane  and 
Crucifixion,  but  the  hour  of  Resurrec- 

[40] 


Gone  West 

tion  is  nearer  than  you  dream.  It  is 
good  to  live  and  have  enough  knowledge 
to  see  it.  Keep  the  eyes  of  your  soul 
clear.  Don't  be  blinded  by  the  visible, 
you  are  not  living  in  a  material  but  in  a 
spiritual  universe. 


RING  EPISODE 

One  evening  when  H.  expressed  a  de- 
sire for  more  proofs  of  identity  not  too 
personal  to  be  included  in  this  book  the 
Doctor  wrote, — 

"Many  years  ago  I  gave  a  stone  to  M., 
telling  her  to  have  it  set  in  a  ring  for  one 
of  her  children.  She  is  not  thinking  of 
it  now;  see  if  she  can  revive  her  mem- 
ory." 

Surprised  she  had  never  heard  of  this 
bequest,  from  her  friend,  H.  made  in- 
quiries. 

M.  corroborated  the  statement,  told  the 
interesting  story  connected  with  the  stone 
and  asked  H.  to  go  to  her  safe  deposit 
box,  which  she  did  with  a  witness  and 
verified  the  existence  of  the  diamond, 

[42] 


Gone  West 

read  its  history  and  the  directions  for  its 
resetting. 

It  had  been  given  the  mother  in  trust 
for  her  daughter  ten  years  previously; 
it  was  referred  to  just  before  the  Doctor's 
death  and  its  history  written  down  and 
placed  in  the  safe  deposit  box  with  the 
stone  about  a  year  before  the  above  com- 
munication. 


[43] 


Part  Second:    The  Message 


Up  to  this  time  the  writings  given  were 
conversational  in  nature  and  the  Doctor's 
friends  did  not  seriously  consider  pub- 
lishing them.  In  October,  IQl8,  he 
again  wrote  after  six  months  of  silence, 
due  largely  to  his  intense  and  absorbing 
labors  on  the  battle-fields  of  France. 

At  this  time  he  signified  a  desire  to 
write  "A  book  for  his  boys"  as  soon  as 
leisure  permitted.  This  did  not  occur 
until  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice, 
November  Ilth. 

For  a  few  visits  he  seemed  too  weary 
to  begin  this  definite  work  and  confined 
his  communications  to  personal  affairs, 
but  on  the  evening  of  November  2$th  he 
began  to  write  the  following  series  of 
messages. 

[47] 


NOVEMBER  25,  1918 

When  a  great  cataclysm  occurs  the 
world  begins  to  take  cognizance  of  itself 
and  wonders  why  and  wherefor  and 
whither.  In  our  easy  thoughtless  living 
before  this  great  war  not  many  of  us 
thought  o'f  a  next  chapter.  We  died  of 
course,  but  when  we  go  out  single  file, 
as  it  were,  we  are  not  brought  up  stand- 
ing with  the  chasm  opening  wide  before 
the  whole  nation.  To  see  our  lads  in  the 
very  beginning  of  life,  with  every  reason 
for  living,  suddenly  face  about  and  take 
what  appeared  to  be  a  plunge  into  obliv- 
ion, made  even  the  most  complacent  of 
us  take  stock  of  our  beliefs  to  see  if  we 
had  a  faith  which  could  penetrate  the 
great  mists  surrounding  the  mystery  and 

[48] 


Gone  West 

carry  us  beyond  our  vision  into  a  land  of 
reality. 

We,  from  our  side,  have  felt  as  per- 
plexed as  you,  knowing  full  well  the 
agony,  for  we  see  it  doubly;  the  aching 
hearts  among  you  and  the  homesick  boys 
here.  All  the  more  tragic  because 
"Here"  and  "There"  are  so  inter- related 
there  really  is  no  separation. 

That  is  my  reason  for  asking  you  to 
write  down  a  few  chapters  of  comfort 
for  the  mothers  and  fathers  of  our  so- 
called  dead,  which  may  awaken  them  to 
a  consciousness  of  the  reality  of  their 
boys'  nearness,  and  help  the  boys  through 
the  first  months  of  sorrow  over  the  sepa- 
ration. 

That  is  not  an  orthodox  view,  I  know; 
until  coming  over  I  had  supposed  one 
would  be  in  a  state  of  coma  or  blissfully 
happy  in  a  condition  totally  unlike  any- 

[49] 


Gone  West 

thing  on  earth.  Neither  is  true,  and 
though  the  truth  may  not  please  those 
who  have  hard  and  fast  opinions,  I  know 
there  are  many  hungry  souls  wanting 
only  the  truth  and  glad  to  get  it  even  at 
the  expense  of  a  lost  conviction. 

The  war  had  been  going  on  over  a  year 
when  I  first  went  to  France  for  definite 
work.  I  frankly  confess  I  dreaded  going, 
fearing  what  I  knew  so  well;  seeing  lads 
dying  on  the  battle-fields  and  feeling 
helpless  to  aid  them.  The  memory  of 
my  own  experiences  in  the  Civil  War  was 
still  vivid. 

I  had,  as  you  know,  been  a  physician, 
but  how  that  profession  could  now  allevi- 
ate pain,  I  a  "wraith"  ministering  to  a 
physical  human  being,  I  could  not  un- 
derstand. 

You  girls  remember  my  own  passing. 
I  have  given  you  my  impressions  as  they 
[So] 


Gone  West 

came  to  me.  When  I  found  myself  out 
of  my  old  body  but  still  walking  about 
in  one  quite  as  good,  I  felt  like  the  old 
lady  in  the  nursery  rhyme,  "Lauk  a  mercy 
on  me,  this  can't  be  I."  It  was  surely  I, 
the  very  same  man  slightly  improved 
when  I  considered  my  past  infirmities 
and  my  present  freedom  from  earth  lim- 
itations. You  have  the  MSS.  of  those 
experiences,  use  them  as  you  like.  You 
know  how  I  gradually  found  myself; 
how  my  powers  returned  only  greatly  in- 
creased; my  first  lessons  in  thought  force; 
my  visit  to  the  Temple  of  Light  and  then 
— The  Call.  My  guides  insisted  I  must 
soon  go  to  France.  When  I  was  told  the 
day  had  arrived  I  shall  never  forget  my 
consternation — not  that  I  was  unwilling, 
but  because  of  my  misgivings  over  what 
I  could  do  to  be  of  service. 
One  night  (we  have  day  and  night  as 


Gone  West 

you  do)  my  guide  announced  I  was 
needed  and  would  be  given  my  commis- 
sion in  the  army  of  workers.  Then  for 
the  first  time  I  realized  that  work  on  this 
side  was  organized  even  more  carefully 
than  on  yours.  I  was  given  a  uniform, 
a  title  even,  as  an  experienced  physician, 
and  told  to  take  an  apprenticeship 
course  before  going  over  seas. 

After  that  I  found  myself  following 
my  guide  on  what  seemed  a  long  journey; 
it  now  appears  to  be  as  swift  as  a  wire- 
less message. 

I  was  given  hospital  duties,  next  was 
taken  to  the  fields  after  the  battles. 
Then  as  my  experience  gave  me  courage 
I  went  through  the  battle  with  the  boys, 
doing  my  small  part  to  guide  them,  care 
for  them  when  fallen,  and  prevent  disso- 
lution when  possible.  All  of  this  may 
seem  the  ramblings  of  a  lunatic  to  some, 

[52] 


Gone  West 

but  when  one  begins  to  realize  that  law  is 
law,  here  or  there,  it  may  not  seem  so 
strange,  for  your  world  and  ours  are  so 
much  alike  our  boys  often  do  not  know 
in  which  they  are  living. 

A  physician  has  a  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity to  know  the  psychology  of  it  all 
and  from  mysteries  one  begins  to  see  an- 
alogy, and  that  life  is  simple.  It  is  only 
our  bewilderment  that  makes  so  great  a 
complexity  out  of  every-day  happenings. 

This  life  is  more  interesting  and  vital 
than  yours  for  one  marked  reason,  we 
.are  not  so  continually  thwarted  in  our 
plans  and  aspirations.  Not  but  that  one 
must  give  up  one's  desires  and  follow 
some  Divine  plan,  but  our  plans  seem  to 
coincide  with  the  Divine  plans  more 
often  than  when  in  the  earth  life.  Still, 
it  may  all  be  a  state  of  mind,  for  I  re- 
member one  man  who  had  a  continual 

[53] 


Gone  West 

grouch  because  nothing  was  the  way  he 
wanted  or  expected  it  to  be. 

That  is  the  secret  of  happiness,  to  keep 
the  open  mind  and  obey  the  law.  The 
more  prejudices  and  false  conceptions  in 
your  life  the  harder  the  readjustment 
here. 

I  often  wonder  how  people  get  on  at 
all  who  come  fully  expecting  to  meet 
God  face  to  face,  to  be  sent  to  a  comfort- 
able Heaven  or  an  uncomfortable  Hell. 
It  must  be  discouraging  to  find  out  you 
simply  go  on  from  yesterday  very  much 
as  you  did  from  other  yesterdays  with 
one  marked  difference — you  can  imme- 
diately see  the  power  of  thought.  One 
speculates  upon  it  when  on  earth.  Here, 
one  is  always  conscious  of  it.  Many 
come  who  are  not  developed  sufficiently 
to  understand  so  it  may  seem  incompre- 
hensible to  them. 

[54] 


Gone  West 

Our  worlds  are  really  one,  we  see  the 
astral  or  real  side  of  the  same  objects  you 
behold  and  even  enjoy  many  of  the  same 
pleasures,  notably  music,  though  our  ears 
are  attuned  to  many  higher  vibrations  of 
sounds  which  are  not  revealed  to  you. 
You  can  never  know  what  Divine  har- 
mony is,  till  you  come  over.  I  want  you 
to  see  that  life  is  life  wherever  found,  and 
to-morrow  for  you,  here  or  there,  will 
only  be  changed  as  you  interpret  the 
changes  by  the  development  of  your  own 
souls. 

I  plan  to  give  you  a  few  tales  about  my 
boys — you  can  put  each  one  in  a  chap- 
ter if  you  like — edit  them  as  seems  best, 
only  I  beg  of  you  give  enough  to  a  starv- 
ing world  to  comfort  some  poor  soul,  and 
let  me  be  able  to  tell  the  boys  I  have  done 
my  best. 

[55] 


Gone  West 

One  night  shortly  after  taking  up  my 
post  near  the  front  lines  I  noticed  a  man 
in  distress  not  far  from  the  German,  wire. 
On  going  over  I  found  an  English  boy 
still  alive  who,  in  the  darkness,  had  not 
been  discovered  by  the  aid  sent  out  to 
search  the  ground.  It  was  one  of  those 
cases  I  have  told  you  about,  where  the 
spirit  had  really  left  the  body,  but  the  lit- 
tle thread  had  not  been  broken. 

Here  was  my  first  experiment  alone; 
heretofore  in  reviving  a  patient  I  usually 
had  been  able  to  work  with  some  physi- 
cian in  the  hospitals,  a  much  simpler 
task. 

There  was  nothing  to  do  but  go  to 
work.  I  shall  not  explain  the  process, 
for  it  would  have  little  meaning  to  you 
now,  but  I  brought  him  back,  was  able 
to  impress  a  Red  Cross  stretcher  bearer 
with  the  idea  of  making  a  search  in  this 

[56] 


Gone  West 

particular  spot  and  the  boy  was  rescued. 

How  that  experience  did  hearten  me 
up!  From  that  day  on  I  have  had  cour- 
age to  tackle  any  job  given  me,  but  I  re- 
gret to  say  I  have  not  always  been  able 
to  keep  them  in  their  bodies  after  the 
separation  has  been  prolonged  or  the 
body  made  useless  by  too  violent  shock. 

As  I  look  back  over  my  years  of  army 
service  I  now  think  the  simple  work  of 
helping  keep  soul  and  body  together  the 
easiest  I  have  had  to  accomplish. 

The  hardest  has  been  when  lads  would 
come  to  me  knowing  they  could  not  go 
back,  and  sob  their  hearts  out  with  grief. 

Death  is  painless  particularly  when 
not  combated,  and  that  does  not  happen 
in  battle,  but  the  mental  agony  of  coming 
away  from  one's  world  of  pleasures  and 
friends  and  all  one  holds  dear  is  pretty 
severe. 

[57] 


Gone  West 

After  my  first  days  on  the  battle-fields 
I  found  I  was  up  against  the  hardest 
problem  I  ever  tried  to  solve.  Boys 
would  come  to  me  for  advice  and  infor- 
mation. Were  they  dead  when  they  felt 
just  the  way  they  did  last  night  before 
the  battle  knocked  them  out? 

Their  bewilderment  when  I  explained 
the  transition  was  pitiful,  but  they  are 
plucky  fellows  if  ever  such  have  lived. 

I  finally  decided  hedging  or  evading 
the  question  was  not  the  kind  thing  so  I 
boldly  told  them  they  had  lost  their  old 
bodies;  that  they  were  still  living  in  one 
they  had  brought  with  them,  for  the  soul 
is  always  clothed,  and  they  were  never 
more  alive  in  this  or  any  other  world. 

Death  has  no  terrors  for  most  of  these 
lads,  but  this  new  condition  is  always  per- 
plexing and  is  made  doubly  hard  by  their 
relatives  at  home.  In  the  first  place  they 

[58] 


Gone  West 

are  too  sad  to  give  any  comfort  to  their 
boys.  Then  very  few  know  what  you 
knew  when  I  came  over.  And  worst  of 
all,  even  if  they  do  sense  a  word  spoken 
by  their  boys,  they  don't  know  they 
are  speaking  and  very  few  give  them  any 
chance  to  make  themselves  known. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  a  mother  her  son  is 
dead,  but  I  believe  it  is  more  difficult  to 
tell  that  same  boy  he  has  passed  out  of 
earth  life  when  he  doesn't  recognize  it 
for  himself,  which  is  a  very  usual  occur- 
rence. One  night  a  whole  company  of 
boys  found  themselves  together  after  a 
battle  and  seriously  believed  they  were 
still  in  their  old  condition,  until  one  of 
them  discovered  his  coat  was  not  torn  as 
it  had  been  an  hour  before.  He  began 
investigating  his  raiment  and  finally 
startled  the  whole  group  with  "Say,  fel- 
lows, we're  dead."  I  wish  you  could 

[59] 


Gone  West 

have  seen  how  mad  they  all  were,  only 
they  thought  he  had  gone  insane. 

After  awhile  the  truth  dawned  upon 
them  and  I  explained  how  natural  the 
transition  was. 

They  do  not  all  have  the  calm  resigned 
attitude  toward  the  change  that  is  com- 
monly attributed  to  them.  I  have  found 
the  first  thing  which  rouses  them  to  any 
interest  in  their  new  life  is  to  show  them 
how  easy  it  is  to  transport  one's  self  from 
one  part  of  the  world  to  another.  That 
is  a  joy  and  at  first  a  constant  wonder 
to  us. 

After  the  boys  make  that  discovery 
they  very  naturally  want  to  go  home  and 
see  their  families.  I  always  dread  that 
moment,  for  if  anything  is  distressing  in 
life  it  is  to  be  near  those  we  love  and  not 
be  recognized. 

Although  I  do  not  believe  constant  in- 

[60] 


Gone  West 

tercommunication  is  advisable,  I  do 
think  a  certain  amount  of  it  is  legiti- 
mate and  should  be  cultivated  for  the 
time  when  separation  from  our  dear  ones 
seems  unbearable.  You  know  how  much 
easier  it  was  for  you  to  stand  our  separa- 
tion because  of  your  certainty  I  was  near 
and  could  talk  to  you.  It  takes  the  hor- 
rible, haunting  fear  of  silence  from  our 
hearts.  Even  with  the  chance  of  occa- 
sional errors  I  believe  it  to  be  a  worthy 
study,  for  the  hour  will  come  to  every 
one  of  us  when  this  touching  of  thoughts 
is  a  real  life  saver. 

Most  families  can  get  into  communi- 
cation with  their  boys  and  give  them  the 
cheer  and  comfort  they  need  if  they  will 
only  give  up  their  blind  prejudices.  I 
know  many  believe  spiritistic  communi- 
cation to  be  of  the  Devil.  Why  not  try 
the  Spirits  as  Paul  advised? 
[61] 


Gone  West 

Of  course  everybody  is  not  a  medium 
but  after  hundreds  of  experiments  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  nearly  every  one 
has  the  power  latent  in  him,  and  many 
are  highly  developed  who  do  not  realize 
their  powers.  Take  this  crude  little 
table:  when  two  or  more  form  a  com- 
plete circuit  of  electric  current  we  can 
use  it  easily.  Of  course  the  difficulty 
then  is  in  being  sure  of  identity,  and  also 
the  conversation  must  be  limited  to 
"Yes,"  "No"  or  "I  don't  know,"  except 
for  the  varied  vibrations  which  you  have 
sensed.  Sit  quietly — find  two  who  can 
get  some  response  from  the  table  tipping, 
then  do  not  accept  every  tip  as  the  gos- 
pel truth.  There  are  thousands  of 
chances  for  errors,  but  test  out  your  an- 
swers. Gradually  agree  on  signals  to  be 
given  by  your  own  friends  and  always  ex- 
periment with  the  writing. 

[62] 


Gone  West 

As  you  know,  we  do  not  use  your  hand, 
only  surround  you  with  the  currents  of 
ether  which  clarify  our  messages,  then 
give  them  telepathically. 

I  prefer  the  writing,  but  there  again 
I  find  only  a  few  know  they  have  the 
ability  and  there  is  every  chance  for  de- 
ception. But  wanting  a  perfect  instru- 
ment, should  we  despise  what  we  have? 
I  for  one  think  not. 

I  have  never  seen  any  harm  come  to 
any  one,  beyond  an  occasional  deception, 
by  trying  these  experiments,  and  I  know 
as  a  fact  that  hundreds  of  our  boys  have 
been  made  supremely  happy  and  content 
to  go  on  with  the  great  life  before  them 
because  their  dear  ones  recognize,  help 
and  sympathize  with  them. 

You  should  know  how  to  protect  your- 
selves from  mischievous  spirits  after  a 
little  experience,  then  for  God's  sake  let 

[63] 


Gone  West 

our  boys  have  the  comfort  of  knowing 
you  want  to  feel  the  touch  of  their  hands 
and  the  communion  of  the  spirit  which  is 
all  that  holds  the  universe  together. 

Beg  your  friends  to  give  up  some  of 
their  old  fears  and  false  ideas  and  let  in 
the  sunlight  of  truth. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  to  public  me- 
diums, I  would  say  it  were  better  to  avoid 
them. 

Let  me  give  you  the  story  of  John. 
That  isn't  his  name  but  it  will  do  for  the 
little  tale.  I  found  him  one  day  look- 
ing disconsolately  at  his  old  pals  who 
could  not  see  or  recognize  him.  Taking 
him  by  the  arm  I  said  we'd  have  a  little 
talk.  "Don't  you  want  to  go  home  and 
see  the  folks?"  I  asked.  He  sadly  shook 
his  head;  "No  use,  even  mother  just  sits 
and  cries  and  won't  or  can't  see  me,  and 
the  whole  family  is  so  covered  with 

[64] 


Gone  West 

gloom  I'd  rather  stay  here;  the  fellows 
are  cheerful  at  least."  "All  right,  old 
man,  but  you  may  be  able  to  change  that. 
Come  along  with  me."  I  took  him  to 
the  house  one  of  those  nights  when  I  gave 
you  some  bits  of  my  life  here.  You 
never  saw  such  a  change  in  a  fellow. 
His  one  idea  was  to  have  his  family  know 
they  could  get  the  same  sort  of  messages. 
He  begged  me  to  tell  them — to  tell  you 
to  make  somebody  write  a  book.  Well, 
this  little  volume  is  really  the  outcome 
of  the  chat  we  had  that  night,  and  when 
the  book  is  published  he  and  I  will  see 
that  his  mother  gets  it. 

I  think  I  have  said  enough  of  the 
why-fors.  Now  I  shall  go  on  to  some 
little  tales  of  life's  continuing,  for,  as  I 
said,  we  are  just  the  same  the  day  after 
we  come  over  as  the  day  before  on  earth. 
In  fact  we  are  on  earth,  only  we  are  not 
[65] 


Gone  West 

hampered  by  your  vibration  of  material- 
ity; ours  is  finer,  more  tenuous,  and  is 
not  interfered  with  by  your  solidity. 

Our  world  seems  as  real  to  us  as  yours 
does  to  you  and  as  far  as  I  can  learn  it  is 
more  enduring.  Of  course  we  do  not  stay 
eternally  on  this  Astral  Plane,  but  as  long 
as  ties  bind  us,  and  work  calls  us,  we  con- 
tinue our  lives  very  near  you  in  reality, 
as  well  as  mentally  and  spiritually.  The 
only  cause  of  the  separation  is  the  mental 
attitude  of  the  people  on  earth.  Beg 
them  to  ponder  on  that. 

When  the  boys  first  come  over  we  take 
them  to  a  beautiful  place  to  rest  up  a  bit. 
Many  souls  need  a  long  period  for  this 
recuperation,  but  I  find  most  of  the  sol- 
diers ready  in  a  few  days  to  go  back  to 
duty. 

One  interesting  psychological  study  for 
me  has  been  the  spiritual  advance  the 
[66] 


Gone  West 

boys  have  attained  in  making  the  supreme 
sacrifice.  It  is  as  if  a  bit  of  heavenly 
grace  had  been  cast  upon  them,  and  I  am 
told  by  the  Masters  that  many  a  soul 
has  progressed  more  through  that  one 
achievement  by  way  of  spiritual  growth 
than  in  several  incarnations. 

As  you  know,  I  have  had  little  time 
or  opportunity  to  delve  into  the  deep 
problems  of  life's  progression,  but  soon 
I  am  to  begin  the  study  for  which  I  have 
longed  ever  since  coming  over. 

A  soldier  here  is  as  a  soldier  with  you, 
under  orders.  I  have  not  yet  received 
my  discharge. 

I  wish  you  could  see  the  little  group 
of  boys  who  are  here  to-night.  They  are 
so  hungry  for  a  human  word  from  your 
world  they  begged  to  be  allowed  to  stay. 
I  have  told  them  to  keep  quiet  as  mice 

[67] 


Gone  West 

and  I'll  permit  them  to  hang  about  for 
awhile.  They  find  a  home  with  some 
women  folks  in  it  and  even  a  pussy  cat, 
who  recognize  that  they  are  here  and 
give  them  a  welcome,  such  a  wonderful 
experience  they  would  stay  forever. 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  remember  how 
stupid  and  blind  we  were  before  coming 
over.  Of  course  we  have  the  advantage 
of  seeing  you  and  hearing  your  voices. 
I  often  wonder  how  it  is  possible  so  few 
of  you  can  sense  our  nearness,  but  I  be- 
lieve you  deliberately  kill  that  heavenly 
gift. 

Children  and  animals  are  more  sensi- 
tive than  older  people,  but  a  child  who 
plays  with  an  invisible  companion  is 
usually  laughed  out  of  its  knowledge  and 
enjoyment  of  its  psychic  experiences. 

Now  for  another  story  from  real  life 
— believe  me  it  is  much  more  real  a  life 
[68] 


Gone  West 

than  yours.  We  do  not  have  such  im- 
possible barriers  separating  us  from  our 
past  and  future  as  you  have,  or  have  made 
yourselves  believe  you  have. 

This  boy's  experience  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  me  because  of  the  way  he 
died;  perhaps  not  unusual  but  worth  re- 
cording. 

It  was  during  a  battle  he  was  struck  by 
shrapnel,  and  while  still  running,  came 
over.  He  continued  his  flight  toward 
the  enemy,  whom  he  soon  met  coming  to- 
ward him  in  the  same  aggressive  way — 
two  combatants  met  and  thought  they 
were  in  deadly  battle  when  they  discov- 
ered they  had  lost  their  earth  bodies. 
Each  made  the  discovery  about  the  same 
time.  Their  astonishment  caused  a  ces- 
sation in  hostilities  and  I  met  them  look- 
ing at  one  another  in  a  bewildered  sheep- 
ish manner.  Finally  the  Yankee  held 

[69] 


Gone  West 

out  his  hand  and  the  German  took  it 
sadly. 

"How  foolish  it  all  is,"  said  my  Amer- 
ican friend — "Ja,  ja,  Gott  help  us  poor 
fools,"  was  all  the  German  could  answer. 

Somehow  in  that  little  interchange  of 
thought  I  found  the  whole  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  the  inanity  of  wars — so  terrible 
and  so  utterly  foolish. 

If  it  were  not  for  the  future  I  see 
ahead  of  our  boys  because  of  their 
sacrifice  made  for  the  great  ideals  I 
could  never  feel  reconciled  to  the  hor- 
rors I  have  witnessed. 

Boys  are  just  boys,  of  whatever  nation- 
ality, and  I  have  begun  to  feel  deeper 
sorrow  for  the  German  lads  than  for  any. 
They  fought  because  they  were  forced  to 
it,  and  so  far  can  see  no  reward  from  any 
source. 

I  don't  want  my  little  stories  to  grow 

[70] 


Gone  West 

too  gloomy,  and  picture  only  the  unhappy 
side  of  our  life  here.  Whenever  you  go 
to  a  professional  medium  and  ask  for  a 
departed  friend,  I  remember  the  unfail- 
ing answer  was,  "Yes,  I  am  happy." 
I  would  not  make  your  losses  seem 
greater  by  telling  you  the  boys  are 
wretched  because  they  are  here.  That 
is  not  true.  Life  here  is  glorious.  Each 
day  has  its  delights,  greater  than  on 
earth,  for  one  is  not  weighed  down  with 
so  many  perplexing  duties.  My  only 
reason  for  dwelling  on  the  unhappiness 
I  have  witnessed  is  to  try  and  change  the 
attitude  of  mind  and  the  appalling  lack 
of  sympathy  the  families  left  behind  ex- 
hibit. Now  some  will  say  I  am  heart- 
less. Far  from  it.  I  must  arouse  some 
enlightened  people  to  their  duty  and  this 
little  plea  is  only  for  a  fair  investigation. 
Keep  the  open  mind. 

[70 


Gone  West 

How  many  shut  their  vision  in  behind 
shutters  of  ancient  prejudice  until  no 
light  can  penetrate.  Strange  to  say  it  is 
usually  the  most  intellectual  who  so 
greatly  lack  wisdom. 

I  cannot  think  of  a  more  important 
subject  than  to  explain  something  about 
the  first  problems  which  confront  us 
here.  One  comes  over  with  preconceived 
ideas  which  are  mostly  false.  That  is 
where  a  baby  arriving  in  your  world  has 
the  advantage.  He  isn't  expected  to 
know  anything. 

We  are  just  as  we  were  a  few  moments 
before  making  the  great  change,  and  the 
fact  that  conditions  are  different  is  not 
apparent  to  us  at  first.  The  beliefs  we 
bring  with  us  color  our  first  experiences 
and  often  make  rapid  growth  impossible. 
For  instance,  do  you  remember  how  Mrs. 

[72] 


Gone  West 

M.  believed  she  could  not  walk?  Hav- 
ing lived  in  a  wheeled  chair  for  years 
it  was  no  wonder  her  belief  did  not 
change  until  it  was  proved  to  her  she  was 
no  longer  bound  by  earth  conditions. 
The  same  was  true  of  me  in  regard  to  lo- 
comotion and  also  in  the  fulfillment  of 
my  desires. 

I  had  regular  lessons  in  the  use  of 
thought  as  a  force.  First  I  was  shown 
how  one  could  see  thoughts — they  are 
visible,  colored  vibrations.  Then  I  was 
given  experiments  in  using  the  power  to 
materialize  objects. 

Perhaps  I  was  more  stupid  than  others 
or  my  scientific  education  compelled  me 
to  see  the  wheels  go  round,  anyway  I  had 
to  have  each  step  explained  and  proved. 

Most  of  the  young  men  who  have  been 
coming  in  such  numbers  have  not  the 
same  Missouri  attitude  toward  life  here. 

[73] 


Gone  West 

They  accept  the  change  more  naturally 
and  their  class  work  is  a  delight. 

Once  in  awhile  for  a  furlough  I  have 
been  permitted  to  take  a  group  in  hand 
and  I  give  my  raw  recruits  their  first 
lessons.  Army  discipline  still  prevails 
and  it  is  well.  Much  homesickness  is 
avoided  when  one  has  companionship  of 
one's  own  age  and  kind. 

I  am  still  in  the  primary  class  in  the 
use  of  thought  forces  and  in  most  of  the 
great  studies  which  appear  to  be  the  vi- 
tal philosophies  here.  As  I  have  told 
you,  I  only  await  my  release  from  duty 
to  go  on  toward  the  heights  which  I  know 
await  me. 

Most  of  the  boys  accept  the  situation 
simply  and  respond  cheerfully.  Not 
many  feel  rebellious,  and  when  they  dis- 
cover the  great  handicaps  of  time  and 
space  limitations  have  been  removed, 

[74] 


Gone  West 

they  feel  as  I  imagine  an  aviator  feels 
when  taking  his  first  successful  flight;  in 
fact  the  flying  corps  is  the  advance  guard 
among  the  new  arrivals.  They  know 
much  intuitively.  Most  of  them  are 
fellows  who  did  not  wait  long  between 
incarnations,  I  am  told,  and  those  here 
are  preparing  to  aid  the  young  aviators 
on  earth.  They  seem  to  think  there  is  a 
wonderful  development  just  dawning  on 
earth  for  that  field  of  study  and  they  see 
how  their  work  here  can  help  it  along. 

I  once  supposed  this  life  was  one  of 
perpetual  rest.  It  was  a  surprise  to  find 
it  a  life  of  perpetual  work  and  activity. 
Every  day  brings  newer  and  more  de- 
lightful problems  to  be  solved  and  I 
often  feel  like  the  children  on  Christmas 
Eve,  I  can  scarcely  wait  for  the  new  rev- 
elation. 

I  have  a  feeling  I  may  have  over-em- 

[75] 


Gone  West 

phasized  the  depression  our  boys  exper- 
ience when  they  discover  the  blindness 
and  deafness  of  their  loved  ones  on  earth. 
I  can't  change  my  statements  in  that  re- 
gard, but  I  want  to  tell  you  one  more 
story  to  show  you  what  happiness  a  little 
recognition  gives. 

The  other  night  when  I  permitted  a 
few  lads  to  observe  our  work  they  could 
scarcely  contain  themselves  for  joy. 
One  of  them  announced  he  would  make 
his  sister  hear  him  now  if  he  had  to  move 
his  house  to  do  it.  He  went  home  and 
began  a  series  of  experiments  that  have 
had  the  effect  of  starting  his  whole  fam- 
ily investigating  the  possibility  of  inter- 
communication. It  is  something  to  have 
given  one  boy  this  encouragement  and 
many  more  are  to  feel  the  influence  of 
your  work;  you  see  there  are  several 
kinds  of  war  work. 

[76] 


Gone  West 

You  have  always  mourned  your  inabil- 
ity to  go  to  France  and  minister  there. 
You  will  find  your  evenings,  given  so 
willingly,  will  shed  a  far  reaching  bless- 
ing. It  is  another  case  of  pouring  the 
precious  oil.  You  mothers  have  the 
Mary's  privilege. 

I  have  been  thinking  over  the  title  for 
my  book  and  consulted  the  boys  about  it. 
They  were  unanimous  for  "Gone  West" 
and  I  grow  to  like  it  more  and  more.  It 
implies  what  our  transition  is — another 
big  adventure,  and  the  Great  Divide  is  no 
more  appalling  from  our  side  than  the 
one  which  separates  your  continent  East 
from  West. 

One  evening  just  as  the  sun  was  color- 
ing the  western  sky  with  a  great  blaze  of 
glory  some  of  the  boys  and  I  watched  the 
pageant  from  a  hill  top  and  talked  of 

[77] 


Gone  West 

life  before  this  rebirth,  and  the  meaning 
of  it  all.  One  of  them  made  a  remark 
worth  recording.  He  looked  first  at  his 
comrades  then  far  away  as  if  seeing  an- 
other different  scene  and  said,  "The  girls 
and  boys  at  home  are  now  having  their 
evening  meal.  They  are  wondering  if 
they  will  know  me  when  they  come  over 
and  I  can  hear  little  sister  ask  if  I  wear 
wings.  They  think  of  me  as  some  an- 
gelic creature,  I  suppose.  Wouldn't  it 
be  an  awful  jolt  if  they  could  see  me  in 
my  uniform,  dreaming  pipe  dreams  just 
as  I  once  did  at  home!  That  is  one  good 
thing  about  this  condition,  it  is  a  place 
where  dreams  come  true.  I  begin  to  see 
how  some  of  mine  are  already  realities, 
and  more  only  wait  around  the  corner 
for  fulfillment.  I  never  had  a  chance  at 
music  and  it  seems  to  be  the  most  every- 
day experience  to  hear  marvelous  orches- 

[78] 


Gone  West 

tras.  I  loved  pictures,  particularly  the 
ones  of  exquisite  colorings,  but  I  never 
dreamed  of  such  colors  as  we  know  exist 
all  about  us.  That  field  of  flowers  has 
no  counterpart  on  earth,  or  else  my  eyes 
did  not  behold  its  glories  there." 

I  explained  to  him  that  particular  field 
was  one  on  earth  only  now  his  eyes  were 
capable  of  discerning  so  many  finer  vi- 
brations of  color  that  he  could  see  the 
glory  not  perceived  by  those  in  the  earth 
life. 

We  continually  find  ourselves  feeling 
sorry  for  you  because  your  limited  senses 
do  not  permit  you  to  see,  feel  or  smell 
some  delightful  object  which  lies  right 
in  your  paths.  I  often  feel  you  do  smefl 
our  perfumed  flowers  but  do  not  know 
from  whence  the  exquisite  odors  come. 

The  boys  have  asked  me  to  emphasize 
one  point  in  regard  to  psychic  investiga- 

[79] 


Gone  West 

tion.  There  might  be  danger  of  course 
in  giving  up  one's  self  too  completely  to 
spirit  control,  but  that  is  not  necessary. 
Use  common  sense. 

If  you  were  investigating  electricity 
you  would  not  put  the  volts  through  your 
body  to  see  how  many  you  could  stand 
without  being  killed.  You  would  not 
devote  all  of  your  life  to  that  one  study 
to  the  detriment  of  every  other  interest. 
But  if  you  found  it  a  vital,  absorbing, 
useful  study  you  would  give  it  the  time 
and  mentality  you  felt  its  worth  deserved. 

That  is  my  plea  for  psychic  research. 
Some  people  have  gone  insane  over  it. 
So  some  have  over  every  other  interest- 
ing subject.  There  are  always  unbal- 
anced people  investigating  intercom- 
munication as  well  as  physiology,  geol- 
ogy or  any  other  ology.  That  doesn't 
prevent  the  sane  minds  of  rational  people 

[80] 


Gone  West 

from  giving  each  the  investigation  it 
merits. 

We  only  ask  the  same  consideration  for 
this  most  vital  question  that  you  would 
give  to  the  study  of  the  development  of 
a  bug  or  a  tree.  When  you  think  of  it 
there  is  nothing  so  certain  to  be  experi- 
enced by  every  individual  as  Death. 
Why  not  find  out  how  simple  a  life  epi- 
sode it  is  and  help  the  race  to  overcome 
its  hideous  fear  of  this  bugaboo?  That 
is  all  it  is,  and  as  I  can  prove  after  going 
through  the  experience,  there  is  really  no 
such  thing — just  Life — and  then  more 
Life. 

I  find  the  usual  results  in  telling  our 
experiences  here,  have  been  to  call  a 
world  of  scoffing  criticism  upon  the 
courageous  souls  who  have  been  willing 
to  make  public  their  knowledge. 

Why  is  it  absurd  to  believe  you  are 
[81] 


Gone  West 

still  you,  no  better  and  no  worse  by  losing 
the  frail  earthly  garment?  I  found  I 
still  wanted  my  same  old  pastimes  and 
more,  my  dear  old  friends.  We  did  not 
find  ourselves  in  a  Heaven  of  golden 
streets;  just  a  world  of  beautiful  fields 
and  forests,  streams  and  lakes  as  you 
have.  In  fact  we  have  a  super  enjoy- 
ment of  your  nature  world.  How  long 
we  stay  near  you  is  still  unknown  to  me. 

We  go  beyond  the  earth  environment 
I  know,  when  our  work  is  completed 
here,  but  can  come  back  when  called,  and 
I  for  one  shall  keep  a  keen  interest  in  all 
affairs  touching  my  dear  ones  as  long  as 
they  remain  on  your  plane. 

Love  is  the  great  magnet  through  all 
eternity;  we  can  never  lose  one  another. 

It  is  difficult  to  decide  what  are  the 
most  vital  things  to  give  in  so  small  a 


Gone  West 

volume  as  this.  I  have  consulted  the 
boys  and  followed  their  suggestions  as 
far  as  possible.  The  whole  burden  of 
their  song  is  "Tell  our  folks  we  are  alive 
and  have  not  changed  since  they  saw  us." 

I  feel  more  is  needed  however  and  that 
you  should  have  a  more  definite  idea  of 
the  experiences  that  await  you  when  you 
take  the  little  journey  into  the  unknown. 

You  will  find  your  world  seems  wholly 
artificial  and  this  one  the  only  reality. 
That  we  can  make  our  environment  is 
more  apparent  to  us  here,  but  that  is  a 
lesson  you  are  already  learning  on  earth. 
"As  he  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he" 
is  beginning,  after  many  centuries,  to  be 
taken  literally. 

I  applied  some  metaphysical  princi- 
ples without  understanding  the  law  when 
I  was  practicing  medicine  on  earth,  but 
I  now  realize  I  could  have  accomplished 

[83] 


Gone  West 

vastly  more  had  I  obtained  even  an  ink- 
ling of  what  I  now  know.  Not  that  one 
should  neglect  one's  material  body,  far 
from  it,  but  one  should  recognize  it  for 
what  it  is,  a  grosser  vibration  of  spiritual 
force  than  any  other  body  we  use.  All 
through  eternity  as  far  as  I  can  learn  we 
have  a  body,  and  several  of  them  are 
worn  while  on  earth,  if  one  can  speak  of 
so  integral  a  part  of  a  human  being. 

I  have  just  been  telling  a  class  of  boys 
something  like  this,  and  one  of  the  chaps 
said  it  gave  him  the  tired  feeling  he  had 
on  a  march  with  all  his  accouterment  on 
his  back.  Well,  it  is  like  that  just  the 
same.  It  is  probably  fortunate  we  are 
not  conscious  of  all  the  facts  all  the 
time. 

I  hear  you  debating  how  we  live  and 
whether  we  eat  and  drink  and  earn  our 
living.  At  the  risk  of  giving  false  im- 

[84] 


Gone  West 

pressions  let  me  tell  you  we  have  sensa- 
tions. Every  sense  you  possess  is  con- 
tinued in  a  higher  vibration.  We  eat, 
drink,  and  we  work — that  is  all  who  are 
progressing  do — not  for  a  living  how- 
ever, but  because  work  is  the  law  of  prog- 
ress, and  excepting  those  who  come  over 
in  a  state  of  inertia,  all  have  an  increased 
desire  to  do  something. 

There  is  much  to  learn  at  first,  always 
in  fact,  only  the  majority  are  wholly  un- 
prepared for  the  naturalness  of  life  and 
need  to  have  the  most  simple  acts  of 
every-day  living  explained  to  them.  I 
have  known  people  who  refused  to  walk 
because  they  were  angels  and  should  have 
wings.  I  have  known  others  who  be- 
lieved they  were  immediately  to  be  es- 
corted to  a  grand  throne  room  to  present 
their  books  of  character.  They  were 
rather  nervous  about  it,  too,  and  with 


Gone  West 

reason:  to  find  they  must  just  go  on  liv- 
ing, working,  serving,  growing  in  godli- 
ness through  all  eternity  was  a  terrible 
blow. 

The  first  instruction  we  receive  is  in 
the  use  of  our  new  bodily  powers.  We 
are  not  helpless  infants,  but  are  more  in 
the;  condition  in  which  an  invalid  finds 
himself  after  a  prolonged  illness  when 
again  attempting  to  walk.  You  know 
many  have  the  experience  of  learning 
over  again.  With  their  mature  minds  it 
is  a  question  of  days  not  years — so  it  is 
here.  We  come  over  with  our  mental- 
ity as  matured  as  when  we  left  earth,  but 
with  bodies  in  which  we  have  been  living 
but  not  using,  so  we  often  need  to  go  to 
school  or  have  special  instructors. 

When  one  dies  naturally  in  one's  bed, 
friends  here  usually  know  the  hour  of 
leaving  and  are  prepared  to  receive  and 
[86] 


Gone  West 

assist  the  newcomer,  but  in  the  holocaust 
of  battle  this  is  not  often  possible,  there- 
fore the  organization  and  continued  army 
life  is  essential.  I  knew  a  boy  who  came 
over  prepared  for  harps  and  streets  of 
gold  and  resigned  to  his  fate  apparently. 
Not  finding  them  was  a  blow  at  first  but 
finally  he  cheered  himself  with  the 
thought  he  could  still  play  hookey  from 
camp  and  jolly  his  mates.  He  says  he 
prefers  an  orthodox  Heaven,  it  relieves 
one  of  much  responsibility,  but  he  is  en- 
joying the  shock  he  expects  to  give  his 
relatives  when  they  come;  a  sense  of  hu- 
mor, you  see,  is  not  lost  because  one 
changes  one's  outer  garments. 

In  the  case  of  one  coming  over  with 
impaired  mentality  the  period  of  rest  and 
awakening  takes  longer. 

Some  come  with  enlightened  minds 
knowing  something  of  what  the  new  day 

[87] 


Gone  West 

of  life  must  be  and  their  joy  is  fulfilled 
for  our  opportunities  are  great,  our 
teachers  of  the  world's  elect.  When  one 
sees  the  depths  and  heights  of  knowledge 
and  blessedness  to  which  one  can  attain, 
the  struggles  we  have  made  on  earth  seem 
worth  while. 

The  soldiers  come  in  the  prime  of  life 
with  all  powers  keenly  alive  therefore 
need  but  little  time  to  get  their  mental 
balance,  and  when  they  come  in  compan- 
ies as  some  have  done  in  the  worst  battles, 
each  seeing  no  change  in  the  other,  the 
adjustment  is  easier.  Then  too  these 
lads  come  without  iron  clad  prejudices 
and  their  growth  is  astounding.  Not 
many  have  been  permitted  individual 
separate  living  because  we  needed  to 
keep  up  the  organization  spirit  as  long 
as  the  war  lasted. 

I  believe  now  we  also  shall  be  demo- 
[88] 


Gone  West 

bilized  and  allowed  to  seek  the  goals  of 
which  we  long  have  dreamed. 

One  boy  who  came  over  not  long  ago 
told  me  he  was  a  "Down  and  outer"  on 
earth.  "Why,"  said  I.  "You  don't  look 
it."  "No,  Doctor,  I  had  my  big  chance, 
— and  thank  God,  I  took  it.  I  need  not 
have  gone  to  the  front.  The  family  had 
influence  that  would  have  given  me  a 
safe  chair  in  a  war  office.  I  had  my 
fight  out  with  myself  one  night,  chose  the 
army,  was  sent  over  with  the  first  contin- 
gent and  in  my  first  night  'Over  the  Top,' 
'I  got  mine'  and  I  found  myself.  I  sup- 
pose Dad  is  mourning  because  he  let  me 
do  it,  but  if  he  only  knew  he  helped  make 
a  man  of  me  he  would  be  happy  instead 
of  sorrowful." 

After  four  years  of  this  life  I  find  my 
old  outlook  becoming  vague,  this  life  is 
so  absorbing  and  natural. 

[89] 


Gone  West 

I  have  been  thinking  of  our  little  book 
and  what  I  should  tell  and  leave  untold. 
It  is  difficult  to  judge  of  the  importance 
from  a  reader's  point  of  view,  but  all  I 
want  "to  put  over,"  as  the  boys  say,  is  the 
reality  of  our  living  here  and  now  and 
the  fact  that  the  life  being  continuous 
brings  this  next  chapter  of  necessity  close 
upon  the  last  one,  so  we  can  touch  minds 
and  sometimes  hands  and  always  hearts 
if  the  old  world  will  only  wake  up  and 
open  its  eyes  to  the  reality. 

Am  I  repeating  this  too  often?  For- 
give me,  I  still  remember  an  aching  heart 
for  many  years  upon  earth.  If  I  can  re- 
lieve that  pain  one  day  for  one  sad  soul 
the  mission  of  my  little  tract  will  be  ful- 
filled. 

We  have  colleges,  universities  and 
schools  of  all  sorts  to  meet  every  need 

[90] 


Gone  West 

and  the  lads  are  usually  glad  to  put  them- 
selves under  the  masters  who  can  give 
them  more  knowledge.  The  lack  of 
preparation  for  this  life  makes  it  abso- 
lutely essential  that  nearly  every  one 
have  a  teacher.  To  be  taught  all  of 
your  earth  life  the  delightful  but  un- 
truthful conception  of  the  after  life, 
which  makes  it  a  state  of  eternal  bliss 
without  effort  or  striving  of  any  sort  on 
the  part  of  the  sojourner,  then  to  find  you 
must  start  in  at  once  to  learn  how  to  ad- 
just yourself  to  an  entirely  different  exist- 
ence, more  natural  though  it  be,  is  often 
perplexing  and  many  times  absolutely  in- 
comprehensible, especially  to  those  who 
have  died  at  an  advanced  age. 

The  boys  take  more  for  granted,  and 
I  have  found  most  of  them  delighted  to 
learn  that  they  are  still  boys  with  the 
same  good  and  bad  propensities. 


Gone  West 

At  one  of  the  schools  the  other  day  a 
group  of  fellows  was  watching  the  devel- 
opment of  the  chemical  action  of  a  pecul- 
iar gas  on  a  garden  on  the  earth.  We 
often  try  such  experiments,  and  when  you 
see  a  man  unusually  successful  in  horti- 
culture you  would  find  he  has  the  added 
assistance  of  a  group  of  students  here. 
He  probably  is  receptive  to  their  sugges- 
tions, or  else  his  garden  offers  some  spe- 
cial opportunities  for  experiments. 

To  do  any  work  successfully  on  the 
earth  plane  demands  cooperation. 
Many  of  your  great  inventors  are  con- 
scious or  unconscious  mediums.  I  give 
this  slight  suggestion  to  show  you  what 
Work  we  often  follow  until  time  and  ne- 
cessity and  our  own  spiritual  develop- 
ment make  us  go  to  other  fields — "Other 
Mansions."  They  are  waiting  through 
all  eternity. 

[92] 


PEGGY'S  LETTER 

One  evening  the  Doctor  brought  his 
young  friend  Peggy  to  hear  his  book 
read,  and  Peggy  adds  a  letter. 

I  have  been  listening  to  Doctor's  book 
with  perfect  delight.  Isn't  it  splendid! 
I  am  wild  about  it  but  there  is  one  point 
he  must  make  stronger,  and  that  is  in  re- 
gard to  what  the  families  of  the  boys 
should  do.  It's  pitiful  the  way  most 
people  are  treated  when  they  come  here, 
positively  brutal,  if  you  didn't  know  how 
ignorant  they  on  earth  are  and  how  un- 
intentional it  all  is. 

There  is  S,  his  mother  mourns  so 
dreadfully  he  hates  to  go  home!  Can't 
some  one  tell  her  to  stop  it  and  talk  to 
him  like  a  human  mother? 

[93] 


Gone  West 

I've  made  the  first  trip  home  with 
many  boys.  How  I  always  dread  it  I  I 
can  greet  them  as  they  come  over  with  all 
the  smiles  in  the  world  and  we  have  had 
some  very  happy  awakenings,  but  when 
the  homecoming  begins  I  want  to  run 
away. 

Now,  you  dear  ones  made  a  party  for 
me,  at  least  you  kept  a  continual  house 
warming  and  I  never  felt  left  out  in  the 
cold. 

Of  course  we  don't  enjoy  funerals  and 
crepe  and  tears,  who  would?  If  the 
families  would  occasionally  leave  a  chair 
at  the  table  for  us — have  a  fete  day  of 
good  times  in  our  honor,  in  fact  give  us  a 
birthday  cake  once  in  a  while  we'd  want 
to  stay  at  home  more. 

I  have  in  mind  a  boy  I  saw  some 
months  ago.  He  was  such  a  dear  jolly 
thing,  all  jokes  and  full  of  fun.  We  had 

[94] 


Gone  West 

a  regular  frolic  over  the  fields  out  to  the 
lovely  place  where  he  was  taken  to  rest, 
and  he  confided  to  me  that  his  dad  was  a 
regular  pal  and  his  mother  was  the  dear- 
est girl  and  his  sister  the  sweetest  bit  of 
joy  a  chap  could  ever  want  to  know.  He 
said  they  were  a  plucky  lot,  too,  never 
cried  when  he  went  away  so  of  course 
they'd  feel  more  pride  than  sorrow  that 
he  won  his  croix  de  guerre  and  then  came 
West 

I  was  sick  at  heart  when  I  found  I  was 
the  one  who  had  to  go  home  with  him. 
First  place,  every  mortal  in  that  town 
must  have  decided  to  give  him  a  hand- 
some funeral,  even  if  they  couldn't  get 
him  in  a  coffin.  The  house  was  reeking 
with  flowers,  nasty  old  flowers  too,  with 
funeral  bows  on  them;  not  one  lovely 
field  fairy  he  loved. 

Well,  his  mother  and  even  that  dear 


Gone  West 

little  sister  were  draped  in  black  and  the 
father  had  a  gold  star  on  his  sleeve. 
That  nearly  finished  the  boy. 

He  couldn't  see  how  natural  it  was. 
He  asked  if  every  fellow  got  that  sort  of 
a  welcome  home  and  actually  he  was  ill 
for  weeks  and  no  coaxing  could  get  him 
back  to  his  old  home. 

I  feel  terribly  for  the  mother,  she  has 
put  all  the  barriers  she  can  between  them 
but  what  can  one  do?  They  think  they 
are  not  treating  their  boys  with  due  re- 
spect when  they  welcome  them  like  hu- 
man beings. 

If  Doctor  can  get  the  least  glimmer  of 
an  idea  into  any  one's  head  that  the  door 
is  being  successfully  barred  to  any  return 
of  the  boys  by  such  misery,  this  book  will 
more  than  fulfill  its  mission. 

I  wish  every  mother,  on  Christmas  Eve, 
would  burn  a  candle  in  the  window  for 

[96] 


Gone  West 

her  boy  and  all  boys,  and  I  promise  you 
wherever  it  is  seen  there  will  be  a  happy 
gathering  this  Yuletide.  You  dear  peo- 
ple must  have  a  Christmas  Eve  party  for 
all  lonesome  boys  and  let  me  invite  them. 
What  loves  you  are,  anyhow. 

PEGGY. 


[97] 


DOCTOR  CONTINUES 

I  hoped  I  had  made  the  boys'  point  of 
view  strong  enough,  but  Peggy's  letter 
makes  it  so  much  stronger  I  have  begged 
her  to  let  me  insert  it  as  it  was  given  you. 
She  is  willing,  for  the  dear  girl  has  been 
much  wrought  up  over  the  affairs  of  the 
boys.  She  has  had  more  of  that  work 
to  do  than  I  have,  so  grasps  the  need. 
My  time  has  been  taken  more  with  their 
awakening  and  first  adjustments.  I  have 
not  had  quite  so  many  harrowing  experi- 
ences. She  knows  whereof  she  speaks 
for  it  fairly  wore  her  out  in  the  early 
days. 

I  once  ordered  her  home  for  weeks  be- 
cause she  could  not  endure  the  mental 

[98] 


Gone  West 

suffering.  She  has  attained  much  poise 
and  is  a  power  and  rock  to  lean  upon,  I 
do  assure  you.  I  wish  you  could  see  how 
my  lads  adore  her;  they  call  her  "Ma- 
donna." 

DECEMBER  6,  DOCTOR'S  BIRTHDAY 

Now  the  war  is  over,  strange  vibra- 
tions of  disturbing  and  inharmonious 
conditions  on  earth  are  seen  and  felt  by 
us.  There  are  most  peculiar  color  com- 
binations visible  when  one  gets  a  view  of 
the  earth  in  perspective.  It  is  an  inter- 
esting experience  to  do  what  I  was  led 
to  investigate  a  few  days  ago. 

My  guide  asked  me  to  take  a  journey 
around  the  world  to  observe  the  group 
emotions  made  visible  in  color.  It  was 
an  experience  not  unlike  the  journey  I 
made  from  the  Temple  of  Light.  We 
had  to  avoid  certain  enemy  sections  but 

[99] 


Gone  West 

I  saw  Turkey  as  a  land  of  clouded  reds 
and  purples,  dull,  horrid  colors.  Bel- 
gium was  pure  blue  and  Rumania  the 
most  exquisite  turquoise.  These  colors 
it  seems  are  symbolic  of  the  cosmic  con- 
sciousness controlling  the  minds  of  those 
countries.  I  would  like  to  tell  you  all 
I  heard  about  the  immense  value  of  the 
sound  waves  emanating  from  the  United 
States.  The  community  sings  are  hav- 
ing a  great  psychic  significance.  They 
are  attended  by  crowds  of  people  from 
this  life,  and  particularly  by  the  soldiers 
who  have  come  over. 

They  say  they  get  more  comfort  from 
those  big  musical  fetes  than  from  any- 
thing that  is  being  done  for  them  on 
earth.  The  usual  memorial  service  they 
avoid  as  they  do  a  cemetery.  If  any  one 
wants  to  hold  a  memorial  service  for  our 
lads  who  have  given  their  lives  for  their 
[100] 


Gone  West 

country,  and  wishes  them  to  come  to  the 
meeting,  tell  them  to  make  it  as  gay  and 
joyful  a  sing  as  possible. 

As  I  think  over  the  pages  of  my  little 
book  they  seem  most  inadequate.  I  can 
tell  so  little  and  perhaps  not  one  thing 
sorrowing  mothers  want  to  hear,  and 
what  I  have  written  may  be  misleading. 
Just  suppose  you  had  never  left  your 
house  and  you  asked  ten  different  people 
what  the  world  outside  was  like:  would 
their  answers  be  much  alike?  I  am  giv- 
ing a  few  impressions  gleaned  from  my 
own  experience  and  some  day  I  might 
change  many  of  them,  but  this  is  the  way 
life  looks  to  me  this  December  of  1918 
after  four  years  spent  mostly  on  or  near 
the  battle-fields  of  Europe. 

My  first  horror  has  long  been  passed. 
I  have  a  saner  outlook  on  this  cataclysm. 
Never  ceasing  to  regret  its  happening, 

[101] 


Gone  West 

but  now  understanding  it  had  to  be;  for 
all  life  is  law  and  when  nations  disobey 
the  law,  they  must  suffer  or  the  world 
would  go  deeper  into  a  slough  of  misery. 

Life  is  one  life,  death  is  the  opening  of 
the  windows  of  a  darkened  cell. 

I  have  good  news  for  you,  it  comes  as 
a  birthday  gift.  I  received  my  dis- 
charge to-day.  I  am  now  on  the  reserve 
list,  as  it  were,  ready  to  be  called  in  time 
of  need  but  my  badge  for  honorable  serv- 
ice has  been  given  to  me,  and  I  am  now 
privileged  to  conduct  my  life  again  ac- 
cording as  my  desires  dictate.  You 
know  how  happy  I  am  to  begin  my  stud- 
ies again  in  the  great  sciences  which  most 
affect  mankind  in  its  journey  through  the 
many  planes  of  its  progression. 

I  hope  to  go  far  in  my  research  and 
travels,  but  know  always  I  shall  hear  the 
call  of  my  loved  ones,  and  a  need  or  wish 
[102] 


Gone  West 

to  speak  to  me  will  bring  me  from  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  universe. 

I  shall  often  drop  in  for  a  family  chat 
and  for  many  years  I  shall  devote  much 
time  to  helping  my  boys  if  they  need  me. 
Even  here  we  are  not  beyond  the  neces- 
sity of  a  friendly  lift  over  crooked  stiles. 

This  is  only  good  night.  A  star  beck- 
ons me  on.  When  you  gaze  at  the  sky  at 
night,  know  the  universe  is  as  full  of 
friendly  souls  as  the  heavens  are  of  stars. 
Au  revoir  and  God  bless  you. 


THE  END 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


MAY  0 1  2007 


C/39 


UCSD  Libr. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  807  323     1 


Universit 

Southe 

Libra 


